Ambassadors of the Environment Camp at the Ritz Carlton

Ryan and Taylor just finished Ambassadors of the Environment Camp at the Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman. The camp was filled with art activities, and trips to the bat caves, mangroves, and some of the amazing snorkeling sites that Cayman has to offer. They saw Spotted Eagle Rays and baby Turtles emerging from their eggs on the beach. The enjoyed afternoons of rock climbing (Ryan wants me to mention that he made it to the top and Taylor was not far behind) and playing games with new friends that they met. Ryan and Taylor knew some of the kids in the camp and made some new friends, and they had the highest praises for the staff. When summarizing the camp in one word, they both said "awesome!" See the links below for more about the camp. http://www.oceanfutures.org/ofs/aote.php http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/GrandCayman/AmbassadorsoftheEnvironment/Default.htm

Blue Iguanas

On a recent visit to the Botanic Park we visited with the beautiful Blue Iguanas that rule the park. Note that these are NOT the green iguanas that seem to have arrived in Cayman a few years ago and have left their unwanted mark on our Island.

The Blue Iguana or Grand Cayman Iguana (Cyclura lewisi) is a critically endangered species of lizard endemic to the island of Grand Cayman The Blue Iguana is one of the longest-living species of lizard (possibly up to 69 years). The record is 67 years.

The Blue Iguana prefers dwelling in rocky, sunlit, open areas in dry forests or near the shore, as the females must dig holes in the sand to lay eggs in June and July. A possible second clutch is laid in September. The Blue Iguana's vegetarian diet includes plants, fruits, and flowers. Its coloration is tan to gray with a bluish cast that is more pronounced during the breeding season and more so in males. Here are some websites to learn more about the Blue Iguanas and the Botanic Park.

http://www.blueiguana.ky/ http://www.nationaltrust.org.ky/info/blueiguana.html http://www.botanic-park.ky/

Boating with Friends

We made some new friends who visit Cayman every summer from England. We enjoyed a glorious day of boating in the North Sound together. Our Boston Terrier, DeeDee, loved all of the attention from our guests!

The Leos of the Family

Taylor and Alianne celebrate their birthdays 3 days apart so Mimi and Bampa hosted a family lunch in celebration of Ali turning 3 and Taylor turning 8. The two little divas loved being the center of attention.

Sea is for Science Camp

Ryan and Taylor enjoyed a funfilled week of camp. They snorkeled on the reef, explored sea grass beds and discovered the incredible life within the mangroves. The kids spent the week learning about the sea creatures and the local ecosystems. They have already asked if they can sign up again next year. http://www.caymanseaelements.com/photos_aug11.html

Taylor's 8th birthday

Taylor celebrated her 8th birthday a week early with a Spa Day with 6 other girlfriends at a kids salon, Tangles. The girls spent 3 hours getting manicures, pedicures, and their hair done. It was a fun, girly afternoon. After the spa, David, Ryan & Max, along with the grandparents joined us at The Brick House for pizza and cake.

Staycation Cayman Style

I know David has received lots of grief on Facebook regarding our Island view of a staycation, but in Cayman, if you stay on 'The Rock', it is considered a staycation, whether you are actually staying at your house or not. So, our Island version of our Summer staycation, was a week in a rented house at Cayman Kai. We decided to stay close to home this summer as are currently going through the process before breaking ground on our house, which is scheduled to begin construction late August / early September (keep posted for updates). So in July we opted for the relaxation and tranquility of Kailypso at Cayman Kai, with Mimi and Bampa. The weather was picture perfect, and days playing Gin Rummy (Ryan mastered the game and won a few hands), snorkeling, Kayaking and Paddle Boarding lead into lazy evening watching the sunset, enjoying the solitude and waiting for the moonless night so we can see the bioluminescence in the bay.

Sun and Fun With Mimi & Bampa

Taylor enjoys an afternoon snorkeling by the reef with Mimi & Bampa while David and Ryan practice some shallow water diving skills.

Scuba Diving at Eden Rock

Ryan has logged over 13 dives to date. Here he is just emerging from his first night dive with David.

End of School Fun

May and June was all about end of school madness for Ryan and Taylor. They had activities, projects and field trips every week. Since life keep us away from blogging for the past few months here is a very brief snapshot of what took place: Year 3 field trip to Pedro St. James, Year 5 tour of the ecosystems of Cayman, and Taylor's Tap & Jazz recital. Summer break could not come soon enough!

Trying Blogger with MarsEdit on Mac

Probably the hardest part of maintaining an up to date blog is the whole process of getting online and then logging onto blogger, making the new post, double checking all in preview, etc. Well, MarsEdit is supposed to sort all that out. With a simple opening of the app you have instant access to all your blogs (what, you don't have several too?), spell check, real time preview, and all that fun stuff, all without having to be online. Pretty cool huh. We'll see...tell us what you think....

David Rides Out Crime

May 17th. David enjoyed a Charity ride for Cayman Crimestoppers. www.crimestoppers.ky. Can you spot the Vespa among the Harley's? David was one of 2 Vespa riders with over 100 Harley Davidson's sharing the road.

CYCLOPREP CHARITY RIDE

The annual cycloprep charity ride was once again a fun family day for Cayman Prep and High School students and parents. Participants could choose to ride 1, 5 or 12 miles of the course for sponsorships. Ryan and David rode the 12 mile course from Frank Sound to Kaibo, while Taylor rode an impressive 5 which started at Chisholms Store in North Side. The ride ended with breakfast at Kaibo in Cayman Kai.

LEGENDS CHAMPIONSHIPS TENNIS TOURNAMENT

Back in Cayman, Ryan enjoyed some tennis with his Mimi and Daddy. The legends Championships was held at the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman for the second year. Massive was instrumental with the set up, and Ryan enjoyed meeting Jim Courier and a great weekend of tennis.

Angela's girls trip

APRIL 23 - 26. To celebrate my Mother in Law's 70th birthday, Nancy and I took her on a girls trip to Atlanta, along with Taylor and Jade. We stayed in Rachel & Steven's fabulous downtown condo overlooking Buckhead, did some major retail therapy, went to the Fox Theatre to watch the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, had a spa afternoon, and enjoyed a glorious day on Lake Lanier in the Harts boat, just to name a few of the highlights. Champagne every night, many blonde moments (mostly by Angela and Nancy I wish to add) and laughter until the wee hours of the morning; it was a most memorable weekend.

Easter Vacation

CAYMAN KAI

Another active and fun filled annual family Easter vacation has come to an end. Kayaking and sailing, laughter with family and friends, our traditional Easter Sunday BBQ and Easter Egg hunt, and time spent with family were just a few of the highlights. The weather was perfect and Cayman Kai was bustling with activity during the weeklong family "staycation".

Ryan gets his Jr. Open Water Certification

Ryan and his friend Drew, after weeks of studying their divers manual and tables, have accomplished their Junior Open Water Diver certification!!  

Ryan enjoyed his first dive with David as a certified diver on Sunday April 5th at Sunset house.  He reported back that "it was awesome" (technical diver language) and he was very happy to enjoy his first dive without having to do drills.  

Fun at School

Was school this much fun when we were young?

Both Ryan and Taylor had their Social Studies projects before the Easter Break : Taylor enjoyed Egyptian Day when Year 3 led the morning assembly for the school and enjoyed an Egyptian Feast.  

Year 5, one week later, had their traditional Ancient Greek Day.  A fun filled school day of Greek Olympics, Greek food, and the Battle of Marathon brought their history and social studies to life.